Non Resident Indians (NRIs)

NRI Definition

A non-resident Indian (NRI) (Pravasi Bharatiya) is a citizen of India who holds an Indian passport and has temporarily emigrated to another country for six months or more for employment, residence, education or any other purpose.

A person of Indian origin (PIO) is a person of Indian origin or ancestry who was or whose ancestors were born in India or other states but have Indian ancestry but is not a citizen of India and is the citizen of another country. A PIO might have been a citizen of India and subsequently taken the citizenship of another country.

Other terms with vaguely the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian. In common usage, this often includes Indian-born individuals (and also people of other nations with Indian ancestry) who have taken the citizenship of other countries.

NRI Meaning

A Non-Resident Indian (NRI) is an Indian citizen or Foreign National of Indian Origin resident outside India for purposes of employment, carrying on business or vocation in circumstances as would indicate an intention to stay outside India for an indefinite period. An individual will also be considered NRI if his stay in India is less than 182 days during the preceding financial year.

Who has an NRI Status?

An Indian abroad is popularly known as Non-Resident Indian (NRI). The NRI status is legally defined under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 and the Income Tax Act, 1961 for applicability of respective laws.

The residential status of a person leaving India will be determined us under :
If a person leaves India for the purpose of employment, business or for any other purpose that indicates his intention to stay outside India for an uncertain period; then he becomes a non resident from the day he leaves India for such purpose.

The residential status of a person returning to India will be determined us under :
If a person comes to India for the purpose of employment, business or for any other purpose that indicates his intention to stay in India for an uncertain period; then he becomes a resident from the day he comes to India for such purpose.

The term NRI, generally, means a non-resident who is either an Indian Citizen residing outside India and includes Foreign Citizen of Indian origin residing outside India.

Indians and NRIs

Ever since Narendra Modi government took charge in May 2014, there has been a plethora of activities including Bharatiya Pravasi Divas aimed to woo the non-residents Indians (NRIs) and people of Indian origin (POI) who have been the veritable image builders of the country in the global community.

According to the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, India has the second largest diaspora in the world after overseas Chinese. The overseas Indian community estimated at over 25 million is spread across every major region in the world. In the US, there are 3.19 million Indian Americans who are engaged in diverse fields and have become a model immigrant population for their counterparts from other countries.

Whether in education, industries or governance, NRIs in America stand apart for their diligence, hardwork and dynamism. They have shown to people back home in India that nothing can stop them from achieving the pinnacle of success if there is a strong will to pursue their lofty ideals.

Indian diaspora tops the global remittances of migratory workforce in 2014. The total remittances from NRIs stood at $70.38 billion as compared to $64.14 billion for China in 2014. The $70 billion windfall constituted a healthy 3.7 per cent of the country's nearly $2 trillion GDP and this huge amount offers as a cushion to withstand unexpected shocks and turbulence in the global economy.

Just think of thousands of nurses from Kerala toiling in hospitals in Sheikh kingdoms, sofware professionals working in 24x7 shifts without breaks in the US and Europe and other professionals exerting their best in countries across the world with the sole purpose of making the lives of parents, relatives back home comfortable. Is it not time then for Indians back home to make honest attempts to atleast match the efforts of their NRI friends who are sweating away in far away land to usher in prosperity to their motherland?

One way to appreciate the value and efforts of NRIs and Indian diaspora is to find out what they want and take steps to fulfill what they expect from the government in terms of easing banking transactions, relaxing visa restrictions and allowing more baggage when they visit India for vacations. But still we can do more.....

Most NRIs wants to start a business in India as a company and that is where the problems begin. No single person can form a company: According to New Companies Act, 2013, NRIs, PIOs and foreigners are not allowed to set up a one person company
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Those NRIs willing to return to India for good have to fine tune their lifestyle and temperament to suit the current environment in their motherland. Some of the major irritants (or even challenges) at the time of shifting their base are selecting a good house, ... » More

The three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas concluded on January 9 at Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar in the presence of Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, who gave away 'Pravasi Bharatiya Samman' awards to 15 members of the Indian diaspora... »More

NRI marriages are visualized as status symbol in Indian society because it is considered that NRI’s life is much better then in India. Many girls are fond of NRIs groom and when they engaged with them, they think that all their dreams will be fulfilled.

Many Indians move to other countries for green pastures but have strong bonding with their mother land. They constantly desire to have voting rights and participate in the electoral process of their country,